THE SALVAGE OF THE SS GREAT BRITAIN

A rusting hulk. At the beginning of 1970 the Victorian Steamship Great Britain lay beached in the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas. The old ship, already largely decayed, was taken there in 1937 after many years spent as a floating coal and wool store in nearby Stanley harbour. By May 1970 after an epic salvage operation by German and British teams the hull, strapped to a giant pontoon was en route to Avonmouth the modern port for Bristol. The tow of 6,800 miles / 10,900kms was made largely by the tug Varius ll from Hamburg which had also served as a base for the salvage operation. The flotilla stopped briefly in Monetevideo, Uruguay and then again in Barry Dock, South Wales where tugs from Bristol took over

The picture on the right was taken in the South Atlantic by a member of the German team and processed on the tug during the tow. It shows many of the experts involved with the salvage operation as well as Ray Sutcliffe, a producer for Chronicle - the BBC classic Archaeology and History television programme, and Tony Morrison. They are on the right. Tony who was based in South America with his wife Marion was an independent specialist film-maker also working for the BBC. Marion who was reporting for the Observer, a London newspaper is not in the group as women were barred from the long tow.

The key decision makers in 1970

Dr. Ewan Corlett. Was a brilliant naval architect who realised the historic importance of the SS Great Britain and knew it was rusting in the Falkland Islands, He decided to write to the Times of London and in 1967 set in motion the idea of a salvage. Ewan Corlett died in 2005 - see Ewan Corlett Champion of the Great Britain	Jack Hayward OBE - now Sir Jack but then best known as 'Union Jack' for his patriotism. His business is based in the Bahamas. He realised the salvage was a serious project with a high chance of success and so covered the greater part of the costs.	Leslie 'Spike' O'Neil Chief salvage officer for Risdon Beazley - the British salvage company which at the time was partnered with Ulrich Harms. Spike was sent to the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas and asked to report about the possibility of refloating the ship. He said 'yes' there was an 80pc chance it would float again .	Horst Kaulen The young and highly talented salvage inspector for the salvage company Ulrich Harms of Hamburg. He was the expert on the use of submersible pontoons such as the Mulus III the key to the operation. His expertise as a salvage officer was seen day after day as it led to the rapid success of the enterprise	Hans Herzog. Captain of the salvage tug Varius ll owned by Ulrich Harms of Hamburg. He took the final responsibility for the flotilla and ensured the equipment including the giant Mulus lll pontoon was in the right place at the right time. He also ensured the hulk was safe for the 6,800 mile / 10,800 km voyage to England	Sir Cosmo Haskard the Governor of the Falkland Islands at the time. He and the Islands' Executive and Legislative Councils decided the ship and the pontoon were fit to leave Stanley harbour. Then, on behalf of the Crown he passed the ownership of the hulk to the Society for Nautical Research -Great Britain Project

Behind these key figures dozens of other people were involved in making the salvage not just possible but highly successful - they are not forgotten and will be recorded in future pages.